


unruly heart

by thatwasanticlimactic



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Autistic Zuko (Avatar), Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Fluff, Gay Zuko (Avatar), Gen, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Sokka (Avatar) Has ADHD, Sokka (Avatar) Has Tourette's, Zuko (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko pulls a Kamala Harris to tell Ozai off oops, but because he did something great and deserves congratulation hugs, it's not relevant to the story but just assume every Sokka I write has tourette's, like for real, like none of these are mentioned in the story it's basically canon in my head, with a little bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:08:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27730555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwasanticlimactic/pseuds/thatwasanticlimactic
Summary: “Do you…” Sokka hesitated, furrowing his brow as he attempted to process the words he was thinking. “Would you… should I come? With you, I mean. When you tell him?”“No.” The answer was immediate. “I don’t want him anywhere near you.”“I don’t want him anywhere near you either.”“You are the best thing in my life, Sokka. The only good thing.” He said it fiercely.The Water Tribesman’s eyes widened, and quietly he said, “Don’t say that.”“Feels that way sometimes,” mused the bender. The horrified look in Sokka’s eyes didn’t waver, so Zuko gently pressed his boyfriend’s head back into his neck, playing with the hairs that slipped out of his wolf tail.[orZuko wants to tell the gaang that he and Sokka are dating but internalized homophobia so he's scared and he wants to tell Ozai he's gay before anyone else because he feels like he has to let Ozai know he will never dictate who his poor, unruly heart loves]
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 29
Kudos: 253





	unruly heart

**Author's Note:**

> this has been in my WIP folder for like two months and it took me that long to realize that just staring at it and picturing it play out in my head would do nothing but make me procrastinate more so this isn't the best thing, I've ever written, but I hope y'all like it! I'm also just going to apologize now if it's oof haha (but bless Grace for reading it over for me)
> 
> (also the Prom netflix trailer came out today so wooo! Still a little worried it'll be too focused on the famous people in it rather than the actual story, but it is an INCREDIBLY important musical so I'm thinking positive!)

_“So, fear’s all in the past, fading so fast, I won't stay hidden anymore._ _I'm who I am and I think that's worth fighting for”_

To say he loved Sokka was an understatement. Being with him, near him, just felt so right. In fact, the love he harbored for Sokka was the most sure feeling he ever had.

Boiling Rock had been a _huge_ gay awakening for Zuko. The stupid determination Sokka had throughout the entire time they were there was surprisingly charming, in some sort of foolish or naive way. And when he got back from his “field trip” with Katara, he was so excited to see Sokka again. They sparred, they kept watch together at night… they kissed.

Neither of them were certain who initiated it. Later, Sokka insisted that it was the power of the moon, something about how Her gravitational pull had done the deed… Zuko wasn’t too certain of that theory (he liked to think he started it, but really it was such a rush his mind was completely blank), but it didn’t really matter in the long run.

(Plus, Sokka always got giddy when he talked to him about it. He would wave his hands while he rambled and would have this shimmer in his eyes.)

They didn’t want to tell Katara, she _literally_ just started to like Zuko. They started officially dating after the comet, but Zuko just… he wasn’t ready yet. He couldn’t bring himself to tell anyone but Sokka that he was gay, not even Uncle.

And, oh, how he desperately wanted to walk around the Fire Nation markets holding Sokka’s hand, to give him all of the love and affection that he deserved.

 _He just couldn’t_.

What made it worse is that Sokka was okay with it. He didn’t cling to Zuko when they were in public, he didn’t try and hold his hand or kiss him. He said he could wait, that everyone comes out at their own time.

But it was six months since they had started dating.

He was Fire Lord, Sokka was staying at the palace due to his broken leg and still, no one knew.

Whenever Zuko apologized, Sokka told him not to. Said, it was fun sometimes, they could pretend their romance was forbidden, their two nations trying to keep them apart.

And then Zuko started panicking because _what if that actually happened?_

There was a full moon tonight.

When Sokka had told him, Zuko could practically feel the excitement pouring off of him. Looking at the light in his eyes, the eager and hopeful smile that occupied nearly his entire face, Zuko’s heart skipped a beat. And he knew that he would do anything to see Sokka this happy all the time.

The night air wasn’t too cold, but Zuko still held Sokka in his arms. His excuse was that he wanted to make sure he was warm enough so his leg wouldn’t hurt. The Water Tribesman clearly didn’t believe him (he never was a good liar), but he leaned into the touch, grabbing ahold of Zuko’s hand.

Turtleduck quacking filled the night. He was leaning against a tree near the pond so Sokka’s leg would be able to lay flat. Despite the rough bark digging into his back, the scene was perfect: Sokka in his arms and precious turtleducks all around them. He could barely feel the bark anyways, not when Sokka’s hair was brushing just under his chin.

When the clouds parted and the moon was completely visible, Sokka sat up a bit straighter, pointing at it and squealing. Zuko couldn’t help but smile unabashedly down at his boyfriend.

“Is… is it-- do you mind if I talk to Yue for a fe-few minutes?” Sokka asked, his voice small and hopeful, speaking as if his question was something to be ashamed of.

Zuko smiled. “Always, Penguin.” He watched as Sokka bit his lip at the nickname before turning his head back around to the sky. Zuko pressed his face against his boyfriend’s shoulder, resting his eyes as Sokka began to speak.

This was only the second time he had witnessed Sokka talking to Yue, the first being an accident when the other thought he was asleep. Listening to Sokka was beautiful, intoxicating. The nonbender swore up and down that talking was not his forte, particularly in front of others. And while he may not be the best at public speaking, when he was alone or talking to Yue, it was poetic.

Although his eyes were closed, he could feel Sokka’s every movement-- every twitch and roll of his shoulder, each time he threw some kind of hand signal up. Sokka spoke with his hands more than his face or voice sometimes. It was a kind of restless energy that Zuko found himself lured in by. Everything Sokka did was hypnotic, and Zuko could never resist.

“… I know it’s probably pretty lonely up there, all by yourself, but look! I brought a visitor today, Yue! He’s smart and pretty and soft…”

Zuko’s eyes opened in surprise as Sokka changed the topic. He usually tried not to listen too closely to the words, the conversation was special, private, something Sokka usually did in secret out of fear or embarrassment or honor. It was out of respect and love that Zuko tried to focus solely on the sound of his voice rather than his actual words, the jerking of his shoulder as he ticced or the movement of his arms while he spoke.

Truly, he didn’t intend to eavesdrop, he really didn’t mean to.

He caught Sokka looking at him while he spoke, and in the ways his eyes shone, Zuko didn’t think Sokka minded too much.

“… and he’s really adorable and nice,” Sokka continued, pausing for a moment, gaze flickering back to the moon. “Don’t worry, he’s the best boyfriend ever. Seriously, he is. You would love him, Yue, I know you would.”

Zuko flushed at the kind words, pressing the side of his face further into Sokka’s neck so his boyfriend wouldn’t see his blush.

“Yeah, yeah, Yue. He makes me really happy.” The dulcet tones of Sokka’s voice made Zuko wilt. When Sokka spoke in public, he was loud and boisterous, but when he was with Zuko his voice was light and soft. It was enduring and something so special and so personal.

Something in Zuko snapped. He wasn’t quite sure what, maybe it was Sokka continuing to tell Yue about how much he loved Zuko or maybe it was that he could not stop thinking about how beautiful and special everything about his boyfriend was.

As soon as the one-sided conversation ended, Zuko broke the night’s silence. “I’m thinking about telling my father about us.”

Sokka stiffened in his arms, turning to look at him. “You don’t have to.”

Zuko bit his lip. “But I want to. And I want to tell everyone else too but I…” he paused, taking a deep breath to ease the queasiness in his gut. “I need to tell _him_ first.”

Sokka’s eyes softened. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to force yourself to tell anyone. I can wait as long as you need me too.”

Agni, what did he do to deserve Sokka? What did the _world_ do to deserve him? Leaning forward a bit, Zuko pressed a kiss on the other’s forehead. “I love you so much.”

“I love you more, ha.”

Zuko rolled his eyes, but smiled fondly nonetheless. “I’m serious, though. I think… I think I’m ready to tell them.”

Sokka’s face lit up. “Are you sure? Like super sure? I don’t wanna guilt you into it or anything!”

He cleared his throat. “I think I always knew I was kinda gay,” he started, tearing his gaze from Sokka and settling on a turtleduck nearby. “But, my dad… I _couldn’t_ be gay. Not with him. And then you came along and I couldn’t stop thinking about how much you meant to me and how beautiful you are and I just-- I _hate_ that we can’t hold hands or kiss in public because I want to so badly. Not having you near me is where I draw the line, Penguin. But I just…” he trailed off as his words got caught in his throat. His eyes stung as if tears were stuck in them, he wasn’t crying, but it felt like he was, _like he needed to_. “I’m so sorry. I’m just so… scared.”

There. He admitted it.

“Hey, baby, look at me.”

Zuko reluctantly turned to look at Sokka.

“I don’t care that you’re scared-- gah-- no, I mean, what I mean is that that’s okay. Your dad is the worst. And no matter what he says or anything, your heart is the best part of you, you know that?”

The edges of Zuko’s lips twitched. Why He Loved Sokka Reason 279: he always spoke his mind. Bluntly, through stuttering, processing his thoughts out loud. It was enduring, authentic.

“Hey, stop ogling me,” Sokka teased. “I meant what I said, okay? You have the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met. Seriously, you do.”

“Thank you.” He whispered it, still uncertain, still completely terrified.

“And, hey, I can’t speak for your dad, but I know that no one else will judge you. Iroh will be proud of you, Katara, Aang, and Suki will all love you no matter what, and Toph will probably say she called it, but no one will-- no one will hate you for it,” assured Sokka, acting as the water that doused the flames of his worry.

He let out a breath of air. “You really think so?”

“I. Know. So.” The nonbender emphasized each word with a kiss, causing him to giggle.

Zuko rolled his eyes but flushed nonetheless. “You know, deep down I know they’ll all be happy for me-- _for us_ ,” he admitted. “I just-- _gah_ \-- I don’t know why I’m so anxious about it!”

“Cause your dad sucked,” offered Sokka, shoving his face against Zuko’s neck and peppering it with kisses.

Sokka’s lips against his skin were cold but quick. They tickled in a way that was so fast he did not have time to laugh before it moved somewhere else. “Quit that,” he giggled, attempting to arch his neck out of the way. It took everything in him not to snort when his boyfriend pouted at him.

There was a pause as Sokka’s eyes glazed over for a second, and Zuko waited patiently for him to speak once more.

“Do you…” Sokka hesitated, furrowing his brow as he attempted to process the words he was thinking. “Would you… should I come? With you, I mean. When you tell _him?_ ”

“No.” The answer was immediate. “I don’t want him anywhere near you.”

“ _I_ don’t want him anywhere near _you_ either.”

“You are the best thing in my life, Sokka. The _only_ good thing.” He said it fiercely.

The Water tribesman’s eyes widened, and quietly he said, “Don’t say that.”

“Feels that way sometimes,” mused the bender. The horrified look in Sokka’s eyes didn’t waver, so Zuko gently pressed his boyfriend’s head back into his neck, playing with the hairs that slipped out of his wolf tail.

“I know you can take him, Penguin,” he began, slowly but truthfully. “And I know he can’t bend anymore. But if anything were to happen to you when we were there…”

“Always the pessimist,” Sokka replied, his voice muffled but clear enough to hear.

This time Zuko did snort. “That’s rich coming from you,” he teased, flicking the back of Sokka’s head when he felt the other’s tongue against his neck. “Gross!”

The juvenile licking ceased, their bodies shaking as one when Sokka began laughing against him. He sighed once his laughter ceased, tilting his head to smile at Zuko.

There was always something enticing about the way Sokka smiled. It was usually cheesy, large, and bright. This one, the one that Zuko had only seen directed at him, was different. His mouth was almost closed, opened just barely. It was delicate but powerful.

“I love you,” whispered Sokka, pushing himself closer to kiss his boyfriend’s cheek.

“I love you.”

“You sure you don’t want me there when you go?”

“Absolutely not.” His answer was firm. “I know you’ll be fine, you’re so strong, but this is something I need to do by myself.”

A nod. “Okay. I trust you. I’m proud of you,” he repeated

And just like that, once more, Zuko’s heart melted. Sokka’s voice was small, vulnerable. “Thank you,” he murmured, resting his head against Sokka’s shoulder once more.

They laid there for another hour, breathing together as one. A sort of calm settled over his body, almost like a layer of protection, serenity. It was an odd feeling, the feeling of being truly happy in the moment. The feeling of courage. Those were feelings he had lost long ago. He supposed it was inevitable that what he once lost he now found in Sokka.

* * *

One week later, he could practically hear his bones rattling in his body with each step he took. He couldn’t stop obsessively running his hands over his hair. His top knot? Perfect. No bumps, no hairs out of place, not that it mattered. Well, it did, but not really.

Ozai was meticulous. Zuko learned early on that he was not the ideal image of the Fire Lord’s son. There were already too many things going to happen when meeting with his father, a hair out of place seems insignificant, but Zuko knew better than to underestimate Ozai and his ability to get to him.

The prison he was kept in was, quite frankly, ordinary. Nothing was really special about it other than the solitude. Ozai was now a nonbender, he didn’t need any special prison to keep him secure and while Zuko knew better than to underestimate nonbenders, he knew what the ability to bend meant to his father. Ozai had never dreamed of a world where he couldn’t firebend. He didn’t know how to manipulate his surroundings without bending. He wasn’t clever or creative (like Sokka was).

The thought of his boyfriend made him giggle. It just barely echoed down the empty hallway he was walking down. Before he had left, Sokka had suggested that he play with a ball of fire the entire conversation, just to agitate Ozai.

If it was anyone but his father, Zuko would probably do it. But this was different.

The delicate clinking of his shoes against the metal floor was resounding. He nodded as he passed by a couple guards, lips in a grim line.

He pushed open the door, and there he was, Ozai.

The man sitting on the worn floor looked nothing like his father, yet everything like him. The image sent a painful tingling sensation down his arms and he fought to keep them steady. His hair was wild, layers and layers of grease and dirt caked the frayed edges. His face looked drained and old without his inner fire to make him feel alive. A tapestry of red scratches decorated his partially exposed chest.

It was a terrifying sight.

“Fire Lord Zuko.”

The voice sent chills down his spine. The words were said meticulously, laced with resentment.

“Ozai,” he replied calmly, fixing his eyes on his father’s nose to avoid his condemning eyes. It was almost funny. Zuko spent the majority of his childhood desperately wishing to be a replica of his father. He wanted to look like him, bend like him… he was taught that Ozai was perfect. Yet, the more Zuko looked at his face, the less perfect it seemed.

All of these years, he had tried to bend his teeth in a perfectly straight line, tried to do everything in his power to get rid of his acne because it was “unbecoming”. Here Ozai was, the epitome of everything he despised Zuko for being.

He was normal now, peppered with imperfections like the rest of the world.

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you too busy destroying the nation I worked so hard to build?” His voice was rough, he spoke much lazier than Zuko remembered.

“I came to tell you something,” he said, refusing to acknowledge the insult.

“Oh? And what is that?”

“I-I’m…” he paused, trying to remember to breathe. The words were stuck in his throat, his tongue felt as if it were glued to the top of his mouth. _But this was important._ “I’m gay.”

The words slipped out as one would slip off of a rock coated in dew. They tumbled out, both words a different fall, a different ground to land on.

The deep and gritty chuckle reminded Zuko why he was so afraid. It made him wonder why he wanted to tell the man before him in the first place. When he thought about it later, he realized it was not the want that drove him, but rather the need. The need to prove that he had grown above longing for affection from someone who would never give it to him.

It was the need to be free, and more than that. The need to ensure this monster disguised as man knew that he was free, that the world was free.

A challenge, a moment of truth that had been eating away at his insides for ages, finally exposed and Zuko wanted all to see, he wanted his heart on display.

Besides, if he could tell Ozai that he was gay, he could tell anyone, for there was no greater challenge to overcome than pure evil that resided in the vessel he called his father.

“Why am I not shocked that you’re gay? You’ve tarnished the family imagine in so many ways, it’s not a surprise anymore,” spat Ozai as his laughter ceased, an almost pleased gleam in his eyes. As if he had known all along.

“I’ve tarnished nothing,” Zuko responded, his voice level, unwilling to satisfy the beast. “You aren’t any higher than me, you’re just homophobic and ignorant. Your ignorance and cowardice was your downfall in the end.”

Ozai lunged forward, face twisted in a snarl as he grabbed the bars between them with a grip of iron. “You listen here, boy,” he growled. “I am anything but a coward--”

A sudden burst of confidence swept through him. “Right, because burning half of your son’s face rather than having a conversation with him is the epitome of courage. It takes a real man to do that.” Perhaps Sokka was rubbing off on him more so than he had thought, because the sarcasm was dripping, wet and sticky in the way that made Ozai rear back.

“Do not speak to me that way,” hissed the older man, his eyes wild.

“Actually, I’m the Fire Lord so I can speak to you however I want,” Zuko replied instantly. “And I didn’t come here to indulge you. I came to tell you about how much I love my boyfriend.” The sight of the bulging vein on Ozai’s forehead filled Zuko with a joy he thought he’d never feel from anything related to his father.

“He’s the smartest person I’ve ever met. Seriously, he invented war balloons and submarines. He’s really pretty, and every time I look at him, I fall more in love.” He smiled as he spoke, his tone quickly shifting from harsh and sarcastic to soft and gentle. “He’s a really good listener, and he’s creative. He’s a nonbender too, you know. And he’s from the Southern Water Tribe so he--”

“You are corrupting the throne mo--”

“Excuse me, I’m speaking.”

Zuko had no idea where that came from. The expression of shock on Ozai’s face gave him a pulse of life he never knew he was allowed to have. It was exhilarating.

“He’s the best thing in my life,” he continued. “And you can never take that away from me.”

“What’s his name?” Ozai asked, a sort of his tone one he recognized all too well-- manipulative and ulterior motives.

Zuko shook his head. “Th-that’s nothing that concerns you. You don’t deserve to say his name.”

“Fine then. Are you dating the boomerang wielding Water Tribe peasant?” His father’s voice was cold, and he spoke the words with a kind of deliberateness that instinctively made Zuko worry.

“Yeah,” he said, pushing the worry away and standing a little straighter than usual. “I am.”

Ozai laughed, a reaction Zuko had expected. “Of course you fell for that one. The weak really are drawn to each other, aren’t they?”

“He’s not--” Zuko stopped himself from lashing out, because that was just what Ozai wanted. He wanted a fight and he wanted to ensure that he could still get into his head, make sure he still had even a little bit of control. “I don’t… I d-don’t care that you think that,” he was finally able to assert. And though he stuttered, he was confident in his reply. On one hand he felt pathetic, but on another, Zuko knew that Sokka would be proud of him, and that was the thought that really mattered.

Staring at the broken man, a strange wave of power coursed through his body. A sort of abrupt realization that nothing Ozai could say mattered anymore resounded in his mind. Ozai was the one sitting in a cell and rotting away, not Zuko. He was _free._

Suddenly, he wasn’t afraid anymore. All of the fear that used to consume him, ravaging his day and night, vanished. It was all in the past now.

He stood a little straighter, a little taller, relishing in the ambiance of being unchained to the expectations that Ozai held for him. In a loud and fierce voice, he said: “You do _not_ get to define or dictate how I live my life anymore. And most importantly, you will _never_ define this poor, unruly heart of mine ever again.”

As soon as he finished, Zuko turned, tuning out Ozai’s shouts from behind. They were just words, untrue and immature. They had no chance against his heart and the love he harnessed for Sokka. For the first time, Zuko didn’t have to conceal his heart. If he could stand up to his father, there was nothing that could hold him back.

* * *

As soon as Zuko arrived back in the Fire Nation, he made a beeline for the palace library, rushing past everyone near him that wasn’t Sokka. Sokka liked working in the library. It was a large room with a lot of space, just enough to calm his nerves and make him feel more free to move about (and if Zuko removed half of the tables or bookshelves with Fire Nation propaganda so Sokka would feel more comfortable, no one needed to know).

He cautiously opened the door, not wanting to disturb anyone else that might have happened to be studying or reading, closing it gently behind him.

And there he was, there was Sokka. Sitting in his usual corner of the room near a tall window with a view of the palace gardens. He was squatting in his chair (and Zuko would need to remind him not to do that while his leg was still healing), rocking back and forth and chewing on his fingernails while he flipped through the pages of a book on the table in front of him.

Zuko just stood there for a moment, grinning like a fool at his boyfriend. It took him a second to slip back into a coherent mindset (or as coherent as he could get in the moment), but once he snapped himself back to reality, he ran to Sokka.

The floor of the library was tile, so Sokka was alerted to his presence immediately. His eyes widened, the edges crinkled in the way that they do when he’s smiling really wide, and pushed himself to his feet just in time for Zuko to engulf him in the biggest hug in the world.

“How’d it go, baby?” asked Sokka, immediately reciprocating the hug, his arms wrapped firmly and securely around Zuko’s middle. “Are you okay? You seem happy, does that mean it went well?”

Zuko pulled away just enough so the two could see each other. “I did it,” he breathed. “I told him and I-I stood up to him!”

Sokka let out a sort of excited squeal. “I’m so proud of you and I’m so happy for you!” he gushed, biting his lip.

“I did it,” he repeated. “I did it!”

“You did it!” agreed Sokka fondly. “I knew you could do it. I love you so much.” The nonbender leaned forward and kissed the tip of Zuko’s nose. “You’re so cute when you scrunch your nose like that. I love seeing you so happy.”

“You make me this happy, Penguin,” he replied, kissing Sokka’s forehead in return. “You’re s--”

His compliment was cut off by the door to the library bursting open followed by a cheerful voice. “Hi! I know we’re here early, but your guards told us you guys were in here and oh--” Aang trailed off, stopping in place at the sight of his two friends hugging each other in a way that was far from platonic.

Behind him was the rest of their found family: Katara, Toph, Suki, Mai, Ty Lee, and lingering in the back holding herself awkwardly and uncomfortably was Azula. Each friend was staring at them, save for Toph who was smirking just to their left.

Zuko felt Sokka instinctively start to pull away, months of having to do so kicking in. But the bender only held him tighter, whispering: “No, it’s okay. I’m ready.” He turned to glance at the group, their shocked faces now morphed into something resembling amusement.

“Are we interrupting something?” asked Katara, raising an eyebrow at the boys.

“Yes, actually,” Sokka replied cheekily. “We were in the middle of a fantastic hug when you guys barged in without knocking, I mean the nerve. Right, Zuko?”

Normally, Zuko would have tried to make a witty remark back (and would have failed miserably) or would roll his eyes in response and playfully hit Sokka’s arm, but he still wasn’t over the adrenaline rush he obtained earlier.

“I’m gay!” he blurted out, his words echoing throughout the library. “Also, I’m dating your brother. And I love him. A lot.”

Out of impulse and the wonderful feeling of love that consumed his entire being, he surged forward, moving one hand to the back of Sokka’s head and pulling his boyfriend into a passionate and heartfelt kiss. It was the kind of kiss that Zuko would usually be embarrassed about initiating in front of a group of people, but today he just didn’t care. He could finally kiss Sokka and hug him and hold hands with him without being scared of getting caught.

If he was paying attention, he might have heard Suki whistle at them or Katara’s mutter of “and they say _we’re_ bad, Aang”. He did, however, hear the plethora of “congratulations” from the group when they pulled apart.

Zuko felt no form of relief as his friends gathered around them, exchanging hugs and greetings. He felt no relief that their response was excitement rather than disgust because he didn’t care anymore. He loved Sokka and Sokka loved him and he wasn’t scared or worried about how everyone would react.

The realization made him want to lunge forward and kiss him all over again.

Sokka latched into his hand before the group could pull them apart. “Look!” he exclaimed, extending his arm so everyone could clearly see them holding hands. “Zuko’s my boyfriend! _Zuko’s my boyfriend!”_

Zuko nodded, letting out a soft “oof” as Aang flung himself at the duo, causing them to stumble backwards. “You’re my boyfriend!”

“I’m so happy for you guys!” said Aang, letting go once Sokka started swatting at his arm.

“So exciting!” added Ty Lee, immediately replacing Aang at their side, lifting both boys in the air (and wow he always forgot how strong Ty Lee was _and_ was getting).

“Ty Lee! Can’t! Breathe!” spluttered Sokka in an overly dramatic (but kind of accurate) way.

“You’re so silly,” giggled the acrobat. “Let me love you!” And they didn’t protest after that because fighting her love was pointless.

Once she sent them down and each caught their breath, Sokka cupped Zuko’s face and gave him a peck on the cheek. “ZUKO’S MY BOYFRIEND!” he repeated once more, shouting it for all to hear.

And Zuko took one look at the goofy smile on Sokka’s face and couldn’t help but indulge him. “SOKKA’S MY BOYFRIEND!” he yelled back. They leaned against each other, laughing.

Though there wasn’t a full moon tonight, there was no doubt in Zuko’s mind that he would be out by the turtleduck pond telling Yue all about their first public date he had been planning since before they even got together. Their first date out in the open without having to hide or pretend to be friends. The thought sent his heart beating faster and faster and all he could comprehend was the unruly and unapologetic love and excitement he felt.

_“And nobody out there ever gets to define the life I'm meant to lead with this unruly heart of mine”_

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> I'm @that-was-anticlimactic on tumblr if you ever want to scream about Zukka or Sokka with Tourette's or anything haha
> 
> Thanks for reading:)


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